WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - The car manufacturer Volkswagen wants to temporarily employ several hundred dual students in production after they have completed their Bachelor's degree. The company confirmed this on request after several media reported on the plans.

The company announced last week that "despite the current challenging times, the dual students from the 2025 and 2026 cohorts will be taken on permanently after their training". In the course of this, the colleagues were also informed that they would initially work in the direct area, i.e. in production, for one to a maximum of two years.

After that, they are guaranteed a job in the indirect area, i.e. administration. "This procedure has been agreed with the Works Council and supports the overarching goal of sustainably reducing personnel costs in the indirect area by 20 percent by 2026," VW explained.

Works Council angry about email to students

There are alternatives for students who do not want to work on the assembly line: for example, they can complete a Master's degree and receive a promise of re-employment for the time afterwards, the company said. Those who quit would not have to pay back money already paid to VW during their dual studies. And anyone who has worked in production for a year can apply for a job in administration.

However, the works council reacted with indignation to the way in which VW communicated the process internally to the 430 people affected. The email had reached the students in the middle of an examination phase, it said. In addition, the company attributed the Works Council's negotiation successes to itself.

"This email should never have been sent in this way. We are appalled that this could have happened," said a spokesperson for the works council. The incident is now being investigated.

According to a report in the magazine "Spiegel", employees in production join the VW in-house pay scale with a gross salary of just under 4000 euros per month. Bachelor graduates in administration, on the other hand, received around 5300 euros./cwe/DP/zb